Publications by authors named "Cui Ren"

Chemo-dynamic therapy (CDT) has a great potential in tumor extirpation. It entails producing hypertoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) that damage the DNA of tumor cells and other biomacromolecules. However, the efficiency of CDT is severely hampered by the massive presence of glutathione (GSH) in tumor cells and the interference of ROS defense systems, such as Mutt homolog 1 (MTH1) protein sanitizes ROS-oxidized nucleotide pools.

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DNA nanotechnology combines structural design with therapeutic functions via programmable DNA motifs, but faces challenges in drug loading capacity. Herein a pore-engineering strategy is reported to develop a highly porous, universal DNA nano-vehicle through coordination self-assembly, cryo-engineering, and supramolecular chemistry, adapting to diverse cargo loading with desired theranostic agents. Thus, the complex synthesis and compatibility challenges typically associated with switching between different drug carriers are avoided.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The study included 32 patients with axSpA and 32 healthy volunteers, who underwent 3D-UTE sequences and traditional T2* mapping, with radiologists interpreting the results and comparing them to CT scans as the reference.
  • * Results showed that the 3D-UTE technique had high diagnostic accuracy, with sensitivities around 94-95% and specificities around 96-97%,
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Ammonium-related pathways are important for groundwater arsenic (As) enrichment, especially via microbial Fe(III) reduction coupled with anaerobic ammonium oxidation; however, the key pathways (and microorganisms) underpinning ammonium-induced Fe(III) reduction and their contributions to As mobilization in groundwater are still unknown. To address this gap, aquifer sediments hosting high As groundwater from the western Hetao Basin were incubated with N-labeled ammonium and external organic carbon sources (including glucose, lactate, and lactate/acetate). Decreases in ammonium concentrations were positively correlated with increases in the total produced Fe(II) (Fe(II)) and released As.

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Background: Identifying axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) activity early and accurately is essential for treating physicians to adjust treatment plans and guide clinical decisions promptly. The current literature is mostly focused on axSpA diagnosis, and there has been thus far, no study that reported the use of a radiomics approach for differentiating axSpA disease activity. In this study, the aim was to develop a radiomics model for differentiating active from non-active axSpA based on fat-suppressed (FS) T2-weighted (T2w) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of sacroiliac joints.

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Sulfide-induced reduction (sulfidization) of arsenic (As)-bearing Fe(III) (oxyhydro)oxides may lead to As mobilization in aquifer systems. However, little is known about the relative contributions of sulfidization and non-sulfidization of Fe(III) (oxyhydro)oxides reduction to As mobilization. To address this issue, high As groundwater with low sulfide (LS) and high sulfide (HS) concentrations were pumped through As(V)-bearing ferrihydrite-coated sand columns (LS-column and HS-column, respectively) being settled within wells in the western Hetao Basin, China.

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Tumor vaccine has shown outstanding advantages and good therapeutic effects in tumor immunotherapy. However, antigens in tumor vaccines can be easily cleared by the reticuloendothelium system in advance, which leads to poor therapeutic effect of tumor vaccines. Moreover, it was still hard to monitor the fate and distribution of antigens.

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Background: Our study aimed to characterize the imaging appearance of spinal fractures in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and identify situations in which the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is necessary.

Methods: A total of 70 cases of spinal fractures associated with AS were retrospectively enrolled. Two radiologists independently reviewed the preoperative images.

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Although the proteins in bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) family are promising therapy drug targets for numerous human diseases, the binding effectiveness is interfered by the competition from non-BET protein BRD9. In this study, molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, binding free energy calculations and per-residue energy decomposition methods were employed to clarify the selective inhibition mechanism of nitroxoline. The results showed that the different cavity volume of effective embedding inhibitor and the changes in conserved residues were associated with the significant higher selectivity of inhibitor nitroxoline for BET family than non-BET protein (BRD9).

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Herein, we sought to evaluate the contribution of the 1,3,5-triazine ring through the metformin cyclization unit to the biological activity of magnolol and honokiol-conjugates. One of the phenolic OH groups of magnolol or honokiol was replaced by a 1,3,5-triazine ring to further explore their synthesis and medicinal versatility. In this study, a robust procedure of three steps was adopted for the synthesis of magnolol and honokiol derivatives by alkylation of potassium carbonate with a 1,3,5-triazine ring.

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Sandalwood is one of the most valuable woods in the world. However, today's counterfeits are widespread, it is difficult to distinguish authenticity. In this paper, similar genus (Dalbergia and Pterocarpus) and confused species (Gluta sp.

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Efficient drug delivery into tumor cells while bypassing many biological barriers is still a challenge for cancer therapy. By taking advantage of the palladium (Pd)-mediated activation of a prodrug and the glucose oxidase (GOD)-based β-d-glucose oxidation reaction, we developed a multisynergistic cancer therapeutic platform that combined doxorubicin (DOX)-induced chemotherapy with GOD-mediated cancer-orchestrated oxidation therapy and cancer starvation therapy. In the present work, we first synthesized DOX prodrugs (pDOXs) and temporarily assembled them with β-cyclodextrins to reduce their toxic side effects.

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In this study, we investigated the lipid metabolism regulatory activity of a novel metformin derivative (MD568) and its potential mechanism of action in obese rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T DM). Previous gene chip analysis of 3T3-L1 cells have shown that MD568 regulates the transcription of genes involved in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) signalling pathway, fatty acid metabolism, and glycerolipid metabolism. In this study, obese T DM rats were treated with MD568 (200 mg/kg) for 8 weeks.

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Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge is a traditional Chinese medicine. The timosaponin BII is one of the most abundant and widely studied active ingredients in Anemarrhena asphodeloides Bunge. Related studies have shown that timosaponin BII has potential value for development and further utilization.

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Nitroreductase (NTR), a member of the flavoenzyme family, could react with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide by reducing nitro to amino at hypoxic tumor, which can be monitored by some fluorescent probes in vivo. Here, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation techniques were used to explore the molecular mechanisms between NTR and probes. The results showed that formation of hydrogen bond in 1F5V-13 between A@His215 and B@Ser41 with 74.

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Various functional groups of microorganisms and related biogeochemical processes are likely to control arsenic (As) mobilization in groundwater systems. However, spatially-dependent correlations between microbial community composition and geochemical zonation along groundwater flow paths are not fully understood, especially with respect to arsenic mobility. The western Hetao Basin was selected as the study area to address this limitation, where groundwater flows from a proximal fan (geochemical-group I: low As, oxidizing), through a transition area (geochemical-group II: moderate As, moderately-reducing) and then to a flat plain (geochemical-group III: high As, reducing).

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Recently, nanoparticles that possess combined use in synergistic therapy, real-time imaging, and spatiotemporally controlled therapies have attracted enormous attention. Herein, we fabricated Doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD)-capped mesoporous platinum nanoparticles (MPNPs) (DOX/MPNPs-AD-CD) for combined chemo-photothermal cancer therapy. DOX/MPNPs-AD-CD with high photothermal effect and loading rate could release the anticancer drugs stimulated by acidic tumor microenvironment or near-infrared light.

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Objective To investigate the clinical value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for evaluating the activity of sacroiliitis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS).Methods Totally 73 AS patients were prospectively enrolled and divided into active group (n=43) and chronic group (n=30) according to Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI) scores and laboratory findings. Conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and DWI were performed in all subjects.

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To evaluate the utility of mono-exponential and bi-exponential model-based diffusion-weighted MR imaging and IDEAL-IQ sequence for differentiating the activity of sacroiliitis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). AS patients were divided into active group (n = 30) and inactive group (n = 28) according to Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) with C-reactive protein (CRP). In addition, 30 healthy volunteers were chosen as healthy group.

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Objective To assess the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the grading of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the knee.Methods Totally 47 patients with OCD of the knee confirmed by arthroscopy were retrospectively enrolled in this study.The OCD lesions were classified into four stages according to classification system of the International Cartilage Repair Society.

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Purpose: To retrospectively explore the value of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) histogram in assessing local aggressiveness of cervical cancer.

Methods: 53 patients with cervical cancer, including 7 cases at stage IB1, 17 cases at stage IB2 and 29 cases at stage IIA, were subjected to preoperative MRI including diffusion-weighted imaging with b values of 0 and 800 s/mm(2). The average of mean ADC values (ADCmean), minimum ADC values (ADCmin) and the 5th to 85th percentile ADC values every 10 % (ADC5 %, ADC15 %, ADC85 %) were measured.

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Objective: To investigate the value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) in the differentiation of metastatic lymph nodes from non-metastatic lymph nodes in cervical cancer.

Methods: In 65 patients who underwent lymph node dissection for cervical cancer, conventional MRI and DWI examinations were performed before surgery. Of the 1590 total dissected pelvic lymph nodes, 392 enlarged nodes with a short-axis diameter (S )of 5 mm or greater were included for further analysis.

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Objective: To investigate the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the preoperative assessment of endometrial cancer.

Methods: Ninety-four patients with histopathologically confirmed endometrial carcinoma were retrospectively enrolled in this study. MRI findings were compared with the pathologic findings in all cases.

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